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Sk8 City Sirens get ready to battle on the border

The newly formed Sk8 City Sirens flat track junior roller derby team isn’t wasting any time hitting the rink.

They’ve been busy preparing for their Aug. 4 debut bout. Assistant coach Michelle Altvater said the coaches work to stress the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship to their 11 players.

“They all have diverse personalities; one girl might have a certain skill that another girl will need,” Altvater said. “So, we try to teach them that you have to play off one another to win the bouts.”

Altvater said most women don’t have the chance to participate in a sport with a high level of contact, such as football, and this aspect of derby teaches the girls that when they fall down, they have the strength to get back up, and in turn, helps the girls get through tough life experiences.

“We want to build self-confidence in our girls. Having a sport where you fall down but get right back up teaches them that if they can do derby, they can get up and give that speech or they can deal with having a death in the family,” she said.

Altvater’s 14-year-old daughter, Tacy, better known on the track as “Peaches and Scream,” said she became interested in derby because regular sports didn’t seem to be a good fit for her.

“Derby combines everyone, no matter who you are,” she said. “You don’t have to be a great athlete or a great skater — derby will accept you no matter what.”

Jereice Jackson’s two daughters, Mia “M&M” Campbell and Tatyanna “SkeLeton Traffik” Campbell, learned about the team through Facebook.

Jackson said the team has enforced positive traits in the girls’ lives.

“Derby has taught them that being a girl isn’t always about being soft. You can be aggressive. It empowers them to be who they are,” Jackson said. “And since they’re sisters, they can take out a little aggression on each other, so it helps around the house, too.”

The Sirens, sponsored by Sk8 City, the Chatham County Sheriff Department’s “Keep kids off drugs campaign” and Patrick’s Uniforms, have spent the past few weeks preparing for their first bout in Orange Park, Fla., against the Cherry Bomb Charmers, and Jackson said she’s excited to see everything the girls have been working for finally put into action

The Altvater family shares her anticipation.

“Of course, we’re all a little nervous, but we’re more excited,” said Tacy Altvater. “We just love to play and work together as a team.”

“They’ll do well. Win or lose, we’re going to take what we see and work to further develop those skills for the next bout. Every bout is looked at in a constructive way, so we can measure how much they’ve grown,” Michelle Altvater said.

“Nothing is more exciting than watching them develop as a team and seeing them pick up the skills they’ve learned.”

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For more information on the Sk8 City Sirens, go to www.sk8citysirens.com.